Music with a message

Joel Kroeker and The Clumsy Lovers take stage to end 2007-08 Performance Series

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Joel Kroeker

Who: Joel Kroeker & The Clumsy Lovers

When: Saturday, May 10, 8 p.m.

Where: MY Millennium Place

Tickets: $22 adults, $19 students & seniors

MY Millennium Place has played host to a wide range of acts
this year, thanks in part to the efforts of the Whistler Arts Council (WAC).

Since 1987, the council has organized an annual Performance
Series as part of its mandate to offer a wide range of arts experiences to
Whistler residents, including theatrical, dance, musical and comedic
performances.

Ali Richmond, marketing coordinator for the Whistler Arts
Council, explained that this year, they have tried to diversify their selection
of performances and appeal to a broader range of people.

“Last year, we did a lot of classical music and this year we
had Matt Andersen and Jim Byrnes, and it was more blues. And now this one is
more roots folk, which will probably attract a whole different audience …” said
Richmond. “We want to get some sort of feedback and see what brings out the
biggest crowds and see what kind of music the people of Whistler are looking
for.”

Now, WAC is presenting a double bill performance to wrap up
another successful series: Joel Kroeker and his three-piece band will bring
their popular alternative rock to the stage, complemented by the folk-inspired
rock of The Clumsy Lovers.

Kroeker has been a full-time musician for the past eight years,
producing three full-length albums over that time, including his most recent,
Closer
to the Flame
, which will be released in
Europe this year.

He co-wrote a top-10 hit in Quebec, Déjà vu, with Dany Médar
last year, and was nominated for Outstanding Pop Album of the Year and
Songwriter of the Year at the 2004 Western Canada Music Awards for one of his
earlier albums,
Melodrama
.

While
Melodrama
had a
wide range of musical and lyrical content, Kroeker said
Closer to the
Flame
is more focused on an individual’s
journey.

“As a songwriter, we always feel like we sort of mature over
the course of albums, so I feel like this album is probably lyrically more
focused,” said Kroeker.

But there’s a lot more to his music than meets the eye.

Kroeker also has a Master’s degree in ethnomusicology — the
study of cultural aspects of music and dance — and has spent a considerable
amount of time traveling.